Dangers in Formaldehyde Hair Straightening Systems

By Denise Jarrett

Keratin chemical treatmentsChemical hair straightening works by breaking down those disulfide bonds in curly

hair and resetting them so the hair is straight. This is done in three stages: relaxing, neutralizing and conditioning.

Sulphur atomsThe proteins in your hair contain sulphur atoms, which are called sulfides. When two sulfides bond (called a disulfide bond) they can create a bend in the hair fiber. Curly hair has a large number of bonded sulfides, while straight hair has very few.

Formaldehyde might be listed as:

methylene glycol,

formalin,

methylene oxide,

paraform,

formic aldehyde, methanal,

oxomethane,

oxymethylene, or

CAS Number 50-00-0.

Formaldehyde

Keratin hair treatments use

formaldehyde and are really dangerous to

your health. These are the steps to the

procedure.

Keratin Gives stylist and the customer the opportunity to use stronger chemicals to break down the sulfide bonds. Formaldehyde, for instance, is occasionally used as an ingredient in the relaxer. The aggressive chemicals allow hair to be straighter for longer .

RelaxingFirst the bonds need to be broken down. This is called ‘relaxing’ and is done with chemicals that contain alkalis.

Alkalis are basic so they denature proteins, meaning they change the way proteins fold over onto themselves.

Neutralizing The second step is to restore the pH balance of the hair.

Since alkalis are basic, an acidic neutralizer will be put on to stop the chemical process and keep your hair from further breakage. At this point, the hair will be straight, but very delicate.

Conditioning

The final step is to apply a conditioner that will repair the hair damage and protect your hair from any additional damage.

Dangers to the atmosphere

However; OSHA has conducted air sampling at multiple salons and found formaldehyde in the air when stylists were using hair smoothing products.

Stylist exposureStylists can inhale formaldehyde as a gas or vapor and absorb it through their skin when they’re applying liquid hair straighteners.

Exposures can occur during the entire process, particularly when heat is applied, such as blow drying and flat ironing.

Short term ExposureShort-term exposures can irritate the eyes and nose and cause coughing and wheezing.

Later exposure may cause severe allergic reactions of the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract.

Long term Exposure

Long-term exposure to low levels of formaldehyde in the air or on the skin can cause asthma-like symptoms and dermatitis.

WHO is at risk!Formaldehyde can cause allergic reactions with a single exposure.

The World Health Organization (WHO), International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies formaldehyde as a human carcinogen, particularly in the nasal cavities.

Formaldehyde exposure is linked to leukemia and lung cancer.

http://www.orosha.org/pdf/hazards/2993-26.pdf

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/formaldehyde/hazard_alert.html

http://www.orosha.org/pdf/Final_Hair_Smoothing_Report.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/pdfs/HETA_11-0014_Interim_Letter_for_web.pdf

Citations